Tree falls on moving car, woman gets $1,250 cleanup bill
Tree falls on moving car, woman gets $1,250 cleanup bill
If a tree falls onto your car while you're driving, who pays for cleanup? A woman whose car was totaled said the answer she's received is unacceptable.
KENOSHA COUNTY, Wis. - If a tree falls onto your car while you're driving, who pays for the cleanup? A woman whose car was totaled said the answer she's received is unacceptable.
Tree falls on car
The backstory:
While driving to Burlington in August, Carrie Cusenz narrowly avoided death on a Kenosha County highway.
"I heard this horrific crack," said Cusenz. "All of a sudden I see this tree falling toward me."
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The tree trunk ended up beneath Cusenz's car. The tree's branches and canopy landed on top of the vehicle.
"I honestly thought I was going to die. I thought that it was my final moment," she said.
Cusenz said a deputy helped her out of the car. We Energies was called out because power lines were knocked down.
"Not only can I not get out of my car, but there are live power lines on top of it, too," she recalled.
The Kansasville Fire and Rescue Department wrote on its Facebook page at the time: "Here she was just driving along and minding her own business when this tree suddenly came crashing down on top of her car. She is very lucky – she needs to buy a lottery ticket."
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Cusenz said she was "extremely shaken up" but had "physically no injuries."
The tree fell onto Cusenz's car on County Highway J in the town of Brighton, near the Kenosha County and Racine County border. The sheriff's departments from both counties responded. Crews shut down traffic for hours to do complicated cleanup work of the tree, car and power lines.
"It was definitely an emotional day," said Cusenz.
Surprise bill
What they're saying:
More than nine months later, Cusenz's main feeling is frustration. One month after the incident, she got a $1,250 bill from the Kansasville Fire and Rescue Department. The bill states it's a base fee for a non-resident vehicle owner. Cusenz said it's for the accident cleanup.
"It just seems incredibly callous to send somebody a bill who's already been through this," said Cusenz.
Cusenz grew up in Burlington but now lives in Indiana. She's also married to a firefighter. She feels the bill is not her responsibility.
"I have nothing against the fire department," said Cusenz. "I have nothing but respect for them. But, why are you doing this? This makes absolutely no sense."
Cleanup fee after tree falls on Carrie Cusenz's car in Kenosha County
Dig deeper:
Cusenz's has a comprehensive auto insurance policy with USAA, which paid out nearly $12,000 for her totaled car and another $500 bill for medical attention.
USAA said her policy does not cover the cleanup fee.
A spokesperson sent Cusenz a statement that read, in part: "In situations where additional fees or expenses are not covered, we advocate on our members' behalf with the appropriate parties whenever possible – particularly when they are not at fault..."
Big picture view:
John Breuer is president of the Wisconsin Fire Chiefs Association. He said that fire departments, like his own in Allenton, will charge cleanup fees for services not covered by local taxes and municipal budgets.
"We normally go after the registered owner's insurance company," said Breuer. "Because budgets are so tight and so thin, we're got to be able to charge for it, just to be able to meet expenses."
Breuer said the at-fault driver's insurance often covers the fee. In this case, there is no at-fault driver.
"Talk about a freak thing," said Cusenz.
What Contact 6 found
What we know:
Contact 6 emailed more than a dozen fire chiefs across southeast Wisconsin to ask about their cleanup fees. Many responded, revealing the cost of fees and how they're applied differs from one community to the next.
Several chiefs said their departments charges a $500 fee. Others said they charge less, or no fee for clean-up. Some departments said they charge more money for hazardous materials. Others charge only non-residents for clean-up.
"It's not that people want to go out and charge more," said Breuer. "We can't even keep up with inflation under normal operating expenses."
Kansasville Fire and Rescue Department
Why you should care:
Cusenz said any policy that charges a victim of circumstance needs to be changed.
"I feel like I've been through enough," said Cusenz. "Every month when I get this bill again, it just brings it all right back."
The other side:
Kansasville Fire and Rescue did not respond to Contact 6's request for comment.
The tree fell onto a highway that belongs to Kenosha County but is maintained by Racine County. One side of the road is Burlington and the other side is the town of Brighton.
Contact 6 exchanged emails with the town of Brighton clerk, which said it "does not receive the details of accidents or fires. Nor do we receive anything about Kansasville's billing."
USAA said it works closely with its members to pay damages covered by their policies.
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The Source: Information for this report comes from documentation provided by Carrie Cusenz, John Breuer, the Kenosha County Sheriff's Department, Kenosha County and USAA.